The present invention relates generally to latching means for securing vehicle deck lids. More particularly, the present invention relates to latching of flexible deck lids. With the present emphasis on lighter weight cars with better fuel economy, many automobile manufacturers have been replacing metal parts on the automobile with lightweight plastic parts. Such an item considered for replacement is the rear trunk lid. In addition, the front engine compartment lid has been considered for replacement by the lightweight plastic materials.
A major problem has arisen, however, in that the conventional centrally located single latch does not prevent the rear corners of a flexible rear trunk lid from being easily distorted allowing unwanted entry into the locked trunk. In order to secure the rear corners of the rear flexible trunk lid, it is necessary to place a latch in each corner. For ease of operation, it would be beneficial to have one centrally located means for operating both latches simultaneously. This is especially critical in flexible deck lids since the inherent flexibility of the lid allows one latch to be in a latching position relative to the compartment anchors while the other latch is still displaced away from its respective compartment anchor resulting in one latch locking while the other latch is still disengaged from its respective compartment anchor. In addition, the centrally located actuating means must be rigid enough to positively operate the latches while at the same time being flexible enough to operate while the lid is being flexed during normal use.